“We’re always looking for ways to improve. Now with that being said, all of the parts are pretty intricately intertwined. To get, you got to give and right now the team is looking good and we’re not looking for reasons to change, but if something presented itself, obviously we’ll look at it.”

…

“This year’s draft we’ve got Boston’s pick, which is going to be at the very top of the second (round), and with the depth of the draft, sometimes it’s as good as a first-round pick. We got the ability to take that and take our other second-round pick and certainly maneuver and move up. So if that comes to pass, it’s not the absolute worst thing in the world, and we’ve always been aggressive during draft time and (owner Mark Cuban is) not opposed to do whatever it takes to do to make the team better — and we’re creative, as you know, so it’s not like an Earth-shattering situation that we can’t overcome.”

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No. 2:Noah aims for championship — This story is no surprise. An uber-competitive athlete wants to win a championship. No, the surprise here is Joakim Noah stills expects a championship to be possible with the Chicago Bulls, even after two-straight years of disappointment due to injuries to Derrick Rose. As reported by Mark Potash of the Chicago Sun-Times:

‘‘My ultimate goal is to win a championship,’’ he said. ‘‘I believe we’re going to win a championship in Chicago — and I want to win it with Derrick Rose. That’s the ultimate goal, and I’m going to do everything I can to put us in a position to play in those big games. And when our time will come, whenever that is, it’ll be the best party in the world.’’

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‘‘I know I wouldn’t be here without my teammates,’’ Noah said. ‘‘I’m a guy who scores off opportunities. You look at the play of Taj Gibson, D.J. Augustin, Kirk Hinrich, Carlos Boozer coming back from his injury to give us huge minutes. Just everybody — the whole team. Even Derrick — just seeing how he’s approaching his rehab. Really killing it. That’s what I’m most proud of.”

‘‘I think we’re the hardest-working team in the NBA, on the court or off the court. The way we practice. The way we carry ourselves. I’m proud that we have that identity — when you play the Chicago Bulls, we’re crackin’. We’re going to the offensive glass every time. We’re playing defense. We’re the first to the floor. I’m proud to be a part of that.’’

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‘‘Derrick’s voice means so much to our team,’’ Noah said. ‘‘When I see him talking to Jimmy Butler during a game . . . or Tony Snell . . . he talks to me all the time . . . it just gives me confidence. He has that much impact on our team.”

‘‘He’s our star player. And he’s a good dude. That’s why it was hard to see him go down again. But he’s a warrior. He never lets up, and I think the way he’s working right now, it makes me hungrier that I know our time will come.’’

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No. 3:Mile-high reunion? — The beef between Andre Miller and head coach Brian Shaw may soon be quashed in Denver, as the Nuggets reportedly struggled to find a trade destination for the disgruntled point guard. However, it seems Miller is still not too keen on a reunion. Reported by Ken Berger of CBS Sports:

Miller hasn’t played since Dec. 30 following a public confrontation with coach Brian Shaw. Despite concerns about the 37-year-old’s tendency to put on weight, Miller has lost 12 pounds since being banished from the team, one league source said.

The difficult prospect of smoothing things over between Miller and Shaw has become a possibility given the Nuggets’ lack of point guard depth and trade deadline conditions that one executive described on Saturday as “a very difficult market.” Even though Miller’s $4.6 million salary for next season is fully non-guaranteed, it has still been difficult for Denver to find a team willing to give up assets to take on what’s left of his $5 million salary for this year.

However, Yahoo Sports quoted a person connected to Miller as saying the point guard does not want to stay with the Nuggets under any circumstances. “It’s a burned bridge,” the person said. “… The relationship is irreparable.”

The ideal scenario for Denver would’ve been to move Miller to a contending team that needs point guard help, thus being able to receive an asset in return. Dumping his contract on a team that can absorb it, such as Philadelphia, wouldn’t give the Nuggets the return they are seeking in a trade.

Though the Kings had extensive talks with Denver about acquiring Miller in December, those talks have cooled given that the Kings have fallen far out of the Western Conference playoff picture.

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No. 4:Cavs looking to deal — The Cleveland Cavaliers have suffered through a disastrous first half to the season. Now with a new General Manager, and sitting just three games out of the Eastern Conference playoffs, the Cavaliers have their eyes on deals to make the team better right now. As reported by Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer:

Expect David Griffin to make some type of trade by Thursday’s deadline. The interim general manager believes the Cavs are close to a playoff team — three games out of the final spot thanks to the current four-game winning streak. Griffin also would love to have the interim title taken away from his name, and he works for an owner (Dan Gilbert) who wants his general manager to be aggressive.

…

The Cavs are looking for outside shooting. A big problem is spacing. Teams tend to clog the middle on the Cavs because they don’t have a power forward — or even a small forward — with 3-point shooting range. Former General Manager Chris Grant saw the same weakness, which is why he tried very hard to sign Kyle Korver and Mike Dunleavy last summer. But free agents took a little less money to sign elsewhere — Korver with Atlanta, Dunleavy to Chicago.

3 Comments

It’s opinion. And because he sees how him and the rest of the Bulls work and they still manage to fight no matter how many players there are. It’s not about the other teams, he’s not concerned with them, he’s concerned with himself. So no, he doesn’t know, but he knows how are everyone on the Bulls work. So if he believe that the Bulls are the hardest working team, then he has a great reason and argument.

Noah says, ‘I think we’re the hardest working team in the NBA’. How does he know how hard the other teams work?
I think the Cavs are the sort of team that could go on a few winning runs. Deng will be settling into the system now, Irving hasn’t hit top form, Varejao is returning soon, their trade could have a positive effect.

Wow. I guess Noah is resolved to waiting until some other time to win a championship. I love his positive energy. Really, I do….The Cleveland Cavaliers, no matter what they do right now, aren’t making any headway in the playoffs. However, I think the Hawks could salvage their playoff standings if the did, before the 20th!!!! Denver: Let him go, it’s over!!!